Butte County group says it collects enough signatures to put fracking ban proposal on ballot

OROVILLE &GT;&GT; A grass-roots group says it has gathered enough signatures to place an anti-fracking measure on the Butte County ballot.

Frack-Free Butte County announced Thursday that they had collected more than 10,000 signatures for a proposed measure that would ban fracking in the county. The group stated in a press release that it would submit the petitions to the county Clerk-Recorder's Office next Thursday.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a process to enhance oil or gas extraction, typically by injecting pressurized water, chemicals or other compounds into a well to create or expand fractures in rock.

Opponents of the process are concerned about things such as excessive water use and chemicals' potential impact on the water supply and air quality.

The group needs at least 7,605 valid signatures — the equivalent of 10 percent of county residents that voted for governor — for its petition to be sufficient.

Bill Bynum, a member of the group's steering committee, said the group has been checking every signature against county records for validity. Thus far, about 81 percent of checked signatures have been valid.

"We feel pretty confident that we exceeded the number needed," Bynum said.

He said the group will continue validating signatures and checking for duplicates through Wednesday.

Frack-Free Butte County started gathering signatures after March 27.

"Once everybody learned the ropes and picked up steam, it kind of took off," Bynum said.

Bynum said signature gatherers were focused on Chico, Oroville and Paradise but they also worked in Gridley and Magalia. They also attended several public events and had a strong response at Paradise's Gold Nugget Days and Feather Fiesta Days in Oroville.

Bynum said about 50 to 60 people have been working on the project — all volunteers. At least 12 people have been working to validate signatures.

If the petitions are certified, the county board could either adopt the ordinance or place the measure on the Nov. 4 ballot.

The board has already moved to ban fracking. In April, supervisors voted 4-1 to direct county staff to prepare an ordinance banning the practice.

No new oil or gas wells have been drilled in the county in two decades and the area geology isn't generally conductive to fracking, according to information previously presented by Paul Gosselin, director of the county water and resource conservation department. There are currently 26 producing gas wells and 200 abandoned wells.

While there are no new wells, Bynum said fracking might be used with the current or previous well sites. He also noted that fracking is being done in the Sutter Buttes and in Glenn County.

Bynum said the group isn't out to ban conventional drilling, just fracking and similar unconventional drilling methods. He said the more people learn about fracking, the more they want to ban it.

"We've seen too many horror stories about that process," he said.

The group's proposal, as posted on the county website (http://goo.gl/ZCimFX), would impose an immediate ban on land use involving fracking, including the disposal of related byproducts. It also calls for full public disclosure and testing for existing fracking sites, related wells and chemicals.

There is an exemption for those with vested rights in well stimulation, but evidence must be shown to the county.

The ordinance would be in effect until the county determines the state has enacted and enforced similar regulations that provide sufficient protections for public health and safety, and natural resources.

At the state level, the Senate failed to pass a bill Thursday that would have placed a moratorium on fracking statewide. Opponents of fracking called on Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a moratorium on his own, according to a press release from a coalition called Californians Against Fracking.